Recently, I spent five days in Dakar, Senegal. Three of the days were for the Regional English Language Fellow (ELF) Conference. I arrived two days early so that I could do some extra sightseeing and exploring. It was fabulous, but definitely not enough time to get a real feel for Senegalese culture.
I arrived late on Easter Sunday at the airport in Dakar. Being my usual stubborn self, I refused to get in a taxi at the actual airport. I took my backpack and confidently walked out of the airport complex even though I had no idea where I was going. Once I reached the main road, I decided to find a taxi. That was not a problem at all. Taxi drivers would do 180s in the middle of the road to turn around and try and give me service. The first driver I found was willing to take me to my hotel for 3,000 CFA (about $6.35 USD) which I thought was a good deal. Later I found out that I probably could’ve gotten there for about half the price. Live and learn! It was still cheaper than the 5,000 CFA ($10.60 USD) I would’ve paid if I had gone directly from the airport. I didn’t want to spend too much time hassling...I just wanted to get to my hotel and have a stress-free first evening in a new country.
I arrived late on Easter Sunday at the airport in Dakar. Being my usual stubborn self, I refused to get in a taxi at the actual airport. I took my backpack and confidently walked out of the airport complex even though I had no idea where I was going. Once I reached the main road, I decided to find a taxi. That was not a problem at all. Taxi drivers would do 180s in the middle of the road to turn around and try and give me service. The first driver I found was willing to take me to my hotel for 3,000 CFA (about $6.35 USD) which I thought was a good deal. Later I found out that I probably could’ve gotten there for about half the price. Live and learn! It was still cheaper than the 5,000 CFA ($10.60 USD) I would’ve paid if I had gone directly from the airport. I didn’t want to spend too much time hassling...I just wanted to get to my hotel and have a stress-free first evening in a new country.
We quickly arrived at the hotel, Sungual Village. It was a cute little resort located in the northern part of Dakar. The hotel had a swimming pool and a private beach (although you had to walk across the main road about 500 meters to get to it). By Dakar rates, the hotel was reasonable, but so much more expensive than Ethiopia! A single room (in its own little bungalow) was 30,000 CFA ($63 USD). However, not knowing much about Dakar, I wanted to be safe. Plus, I’d only be spending one night there alone – my friend Jamie (an ELF in Uganda) would be joining me the next day and split the cost of the room. I thought about staying somewhere cheaper the first night, but it was just easier to splurge for one night!
After dumping my stuff, I was ready to explore! I walked down the street and stopped in the first convenient store I found. I was amazed by all of the different products...and by how expensive they were! Pretty much equivalent to American prices. I wanted to buy everything at that moment, but decided to instead look for a restaurant to eat at inside of eating processed junk food all night. I went back to the hotel and checked their restaurant – some nice sounding options, but very pricey! I went across the street to the casino thinking that maybe they had cheap food and drinks likes casinos back home. Wrong! I asked the bouncer where I might be able to find cheaper food and he directed me to a joint down the road called “Ali Baba”. It was the perfect recommendation. For less than $3 USD, I had a filling chicken shawarma. I was thirsty, but refused to pay another $3 USD for a can of Coke Light!
I went back to the hotel satisfied and decided to start planning my next day’s adventure. I had planned on booking a tour, but that fell through when some of my friends missed their connecting flight – I wasn’t about to pay full price for a tour on my own. I decided to try my luck with getting a taxi to take me to Lac Rose – a lake that is notoriously pink-colored due to a special kind of algae which releases red pigments.
The next day, I got an early start and ate some yogurt and digestive cookies from the convenient store. Instead of hopping in the first taxi that honked at me, I took my time walking down the main road near the hotel. I walked along the ocean for a bit and loved the feeling of being in sand again! As in Ethiopia, I was hassled by the locals...even at 7 in the morning on a seemingly empty beach! Everyone seemed to be out to get my money with one scheme or another! I decided it was time to find a taxi to take me to Lac Rose and get away from the hubbub of Dakar.
After dumping my stuff, I was ready to explore! I walked down the street and stopped in the first convenient store I found. I was amazed by all of the different products...and by how expensive they were! Pretty much equivalent to American prices. I wanted to buy everything at that moment, but decided to instead look for a restaurant to eat at inside of eating processed junk food all night. I went back to the hotel and checked their restaurant – some nice sounding options, but very pricey! I went across the street to the casino thinking that maybe they had cheap food and drinks likes casinos back home. Wrong! I asked the bouncer where I might be able to find cheaper food and he directed me to a joint down the road called “Ali Baba”. It was the perfect recommendation. For less than $3 USD, I had a filling chicken shawarma. I was thirsty, but refused to pay another $3 USD for a can of Coke Light!
I went back to the hotel satisfied and decided to start planning my next day’s adventure. I had planned on booking a tour, but that fell through when some of my friends missed their connecting flight – I wasn’t about to pay full price for a tour on my own. I decided to try my luck with getting a taxi to take me to Lac Rose – a lake that is notoriously pink-colored due to a special kind of algae which releases red pigments.
The next day, I got an early start and ate some yogurt and digestive cookies from the convenient store. Instead of hopping in the first taxi that honked at me, I took my time walking down the main road near the hotel. I walked along the ocean for a bit and loved the feeling of being in sand again! As in Ethiopia, I was hassled by the locals...even at 7 in the morning on a seemingly empty beach! Everyone seemed to be out to get my money with one scheme or another! I decided it was time to find a taxi to take me to Lac Rose and get away from the hubbub of Dakar.
I found a taxi driver and was told by someone to offer 5,000 CFA ($10.60) for one-way. He was not happy with the offer and we bargained for a while. At some point, I just walked away, but he opened the door and told me to get in. I tried to make the ride as pleasant as possible by speaking the little bit of French that I remember from 10 years ago! Eery five minutes, the driver kept reminding me of how far away Lac Rose was...“c’est loin...c’est très loin”. I tried my best to laugh it off or just agree with him. It was only about 20 miles, but seemed much further with all of the traffic jams. We stopped for gas along the way and I even bought cigarettes for him (by my own volition...hoping to start a sort of “friendship” in which he wouldn’t try to exploit me at the end of the day).
When we reached the lake, the taxi was immediately bombarded by locals wanting to be my tour guide. I didn’t want one, but they wouldn’t go away. One man followed me and insisted that he wouldn’t charge me. He was just trying to guilt-trip me instead by saying, “There is no fee. You only have to pay whatever you feel is right. Listen to your heart. The money is for the locals.” Blah, blah, blah. Perhaps I’ve grown cynical after all of my traveling, but this was just what I had been hoping to leave behind in the city limits.
Anyway, I figured that I might as well talk to him and ask some questions about the area if he was going to be trailing behind me for the next hour. As predicted, the lake was not actually pink. Due to weather conditions (lots of wind and no sun) it looked like any other lake, except for the massive deposits of foam at the shoreline. The lake is comparable to the Dead Sea is salt content and the salt is mined for local use and for export. It was interesting to see the mining area and the nearby sand dunes, but did not garner a whole day’s worth of exploration.
Anyway, I figured that I might as well talk to him and ask some questions about the area if he was going to be trailing behind me for the next hour. As predicted, the lake was not actually pink. Due to weather conditions (lots of wind and no sun) it looked like any other lake, except for the massive deposits of foam at the shoreline. The lake is comparable to the Dead Sea is salt content and the salt is mined for local use and for export. It was interesting to see the mining area and the nearby sand dunes, but did not garner a whole day’s worth of exploration.
The ladies around the lake were also very vicious in their money-making schemes. The usual was for a woman to ask you to take her picture. I was weary about this. In Ethiopia, children ask to have their picture taken and then demand payment. Here the ladies used this as an approach to “become your friend”. After you take their picture, they give you a slip of paper with their address and kindly ask you to mail them the photo after it is developed. They don’t ask for any payment...BUT...then they want to show you what they are selling in the basket on their head. Now that you’ve become such good friends, you can’t help but want to buy one of their bracelets, baggies of salt, or little traditional dollies. Another popular technique is to give you a “free” bracelet. They’ll even put it on you without asking. Since they’ve been so generous, you once again can’t help but buy something from you. And that is where they really get you. If you want to buy something, they quote outrageous prices. Even in Ethiopia, people increase the asking price for foreigners, but in Senegal it was ridiculous. Whatever price is quoted....you should expect to actually pay 1/2 , 1/3, or even less! I actually liked one of the little handmade dolls a woman had. She told me that it was 8,000 CFA ($16.96 USD). I was like, “Non, non, non...c’est trop cher!” Then she came back and asked me how much I would pay. I hate when this happens. I don’t know how much things are worth and I don’t want to offer too much. I finally said that I couldn’t pay more than 2,000 CFA ($4.24 USD). She was not happy about this and left...but later came back and gladly accepted my 2,000 CFA.
My taxi driver was getting antsy and there really wasn’t much else to see (unless I opted to ride camels and drive an ATV through the sand dunes). I was happy with what I saw, but at the same time disappointed in the lack of pink water and the abundance of tourist traps. I gave a small tip to my unwanted tour guide and went on my merry way. I didn’t want the taxi driver to take me back to the hotel; instead I wanted to go to downtown Dakar to do some shopping and sightseeing. My top priority was to get to a bike shop. I did research and found out that there was a store called City Sport that sold bike parts. I needed to replace the quick release skewer on my bike and Ethiopia has absolutely nothing available. My taxi driver didn’t know this place, so I instead asked to go to HLM market to look for some traditional fabric to have a dress made. Well, tip to my unwanted tour guide and went on my merry way. I didn’t want the taxi driver to take me back to the hotel; instead I wanted to go to downtown Dakar to do some shopping and sightseeing. My top priority was to get to a bike shop. I did research and found out that there was a store called City Sport that sold bike parts. I needed to replace the quick release skewer on my bike and Ethiopia has absolutely nothing available. My taxi driver didn’t know this place, so I instead asked to go to HLM market to look for some traditional fabric to have a dress made. Well, he took me to the wrong place. Carmel Market. Oh well. I ended up giving him too much money, but still a lot less than I would’ve paid a tour company. I just wanted to start my own walking tour and be done with the taxi driver.
Carmel Market sold fruits, vegetables, and flowers on the inside, but little vendors around the outside sold more traditional, and touristy-type things. Of course, a little bicycle caught my eye. It was made out of recycled materials, including aluminum soda cans. The man quoted 18,000 CFA. Outrageous! I walked away. I found another one in the market that I liked even more...it was green and made from a Heineken can. I told the man 5,000 CFA was my final price and eventually he agreed. I was okay with this...even though I still may have been ripped off. While the materials may not have cost anything, it required a lot of hours of handiwork to assemble. In the end, I figure if I’m happy with the price and the seller is happy with the price, then what’s the matter?
I took my mini-bicycle and happily walked all around Dakar for the next 3 or 4 hours. I walked along the eastern edge of the city along the ocean and saw Île de Gorée (the island I’ll be blogging about next). I was hounded by people at some points and left in peace at other points. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. I ended up buying a pair of leather sandals (can’t find any shoes big enough for me in Ethiopia...except for very manly styles). I also found City Sport! However, it was the wrong location. Only one of the City Sport stores in Dakar sells bicycle parts. I walked and walked until I finally made it to the right location. And I was able to find a quick release skewer! Of course, I also bought some other bicycle accessories.
When I left City Sport, I decided it was time to get back to the hotel. Jamie would be arriving soon and I was getting tired and I also had a lot of stuff that I was carrying around. Rather than spend too much on a taxi, I decided to try out the public buses. There were a bunch of them parked outside of City Sport, so I started asking for Ngor Beach. Nobody seemed to understand my pronunciation, so I instead started asking for Yoff Beach which is nearby. I got on a bus, paid 200 CFA, and rode around. I didn’t have any idea where I was, but I just kept looking for something I’d recognize. After an hour or so, we were on a street that I recognized! I was so lucky to have picked a bus that drove right by my hotel. I knocked on the metal side of the bus to indicate that I wanted to get out.
I lugged all my stuff back to the room and was surprised to find Jamie already there! She made it safely from Uganda, but was feeling a bit under the weather since she was getting over malaria. We chatted for a while, went out to Ali Baba for dinner, and went to bed early so that we could rest up for our next adventure!
When I left City Sport, I decided it was time to get back to the hotel. Jamie would be arriving soon and I was getting tired and I also had a lot of stuff that I was carrying around. Rather than spend too much on a taxi, I decided to try out the public buses. There were a bunch of them parked outside of City Sport, so I started asking for Ngor Beach. Nobody seemed to understand my pronunciation, so I instead started asking for Yoff Beach which is nearby. I got on a bus, paid 200 CFA, and rode around. I didn’t have any idea where I was, but I just kept looking for something I’d recognize. After an hour or so, we were on a street that I recognized! I was so lucky to have picked a bus that drove right by my hotel. I knocked on the metal side of the bus to indicate that I wanted to get out.
I lugged all my stuff back to the room and was surprised to find Jamie already there! She made it safely from Uganda, but was feeling a bit under the weather since she was getting over malaria. We chatted for a while, went out to Ali Baba for dinner, and went to bed early so that we could rest up for our next adventure!